Biomedical Science Master's Degree - MSc/PgD/PgC

• Research Strategies and Innovation in Biomedical Sciences
  This module aims to develop an understanding of all aspects of project management strategies used in innovation and the Biotech sector. Enable students to analyse and present biological data using appropriate statistical software packages.
• Analytical and Diagnostic Techniques
  This module is designed to enable students to develop a detailed understanding of a diverse group of modern analytical methods that are used extensively in Biomedical Science across disciplines.  To be able to critically evaluate issues related to these techniques, including method validation and be able to appraise the benefits and limitations of these techniques. To critically examine and evaluate the development, principles, strategies and applications of contemporary diagnostic systems utilised within the field of biomedical sciences.
• ​Molecular & Cellular Basis of Health and Disease
  The module is designed to enable the student to provide a contemporary view of the current developments in cell and molecular biology and their role in health and disease.
• Immunology of Human Diseases
  This module is designed to provide a comprehensive knowledge of immunology and foster an awareness of current developments in the field. To provide an understanding of the immune response as an integrated system and its control mechanisms. To provide an appreciation of the role of immunology in areas of biomedical research and in the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic techniques.
• Recent Advances in Biomedical Science
  This module aims to encourage students to foster a systematic, holistic and evaluative approach in developing understanding of the significance of multidisciplinary research into a range of biomedically-important physiological and/or pathological conditions.
• Specialism
  Review and critically evaluate current advances and research in a range of selected topics within your chosen specialism discipline.
• Project and Career Planning
  The aim of this module is to enable students to design and develop an advanced specialist project in their discipline to enhance their own and/or others’ learning, work, or practice, and to evaluate their own knowledge, skills, interests and ambitions to create their own personal career development plan.
• Project
  The aim of this module is to enable students to work independently to investigate an area in their discipline relevant to their own learning, work, or practice, and to present and discuss their findings, demonstrating a systematic understanding and critical awareness of their discipline and area of professional practice. We offer a broad range of project types including empirical research projects, enterprise/innovation projects (e.g., business planning or consultancy), or product/intervention design.​

A well-balanced mix of theory and practice is delivered via a range of teaching methods across the programme, including:

• Live learning activities on-campus – e.g., lectures, seminars, workshops, laboratory practical sessions, facilitated group work, etc.
• Academic support activities – e.g., academic skills sessions, subject-based tutorials, assessment workshops, research supervision. These may be delivered on-campus or online depending on the requirements of the module and programme.
• Asynchronous learning activities that students complete in their own time – e.g., pre-recorded video mini-lectures, flipped learning activities, preparation tasks for seminars, etc.

A typical 20-credit taught module will have approximately 40-45 hours of associated scheduled teaching activities, using a combination of the above approaches. Most of these scheduled learning activities will take place on-campus. Alongside these scheduled activities, you’ll undertake your own independent learning – such as reading and research to prepare for seminars or assessments, unsupervised group work with fellow students, engaging with academic skills support, data collection for individual projects, etc.

Personal Tutorials & Professional Development:

We encourage you to meet with academic staff regularly throughout the programme to discuss feedback on assignments and the development of academic skills. You'll be allocated a Personal Tutor at the beginning of the programme, who you can work with to develop your academic skills and consider how you can integrate your learning experiences with your own professional development needs and aspirations.

Our programme and modules are designed to offer opportunities for formative tasks and feedback to help build confidence and develop your ability to evaluate your own progress. Our assessment tasks enable you to develop and demonstrate the higher-level cognitive skills of analysis, synthesis and evaluation.

The programme includes a range of assessment methods, including:

• Unseen examinations
• Essays
• Practical based laboratory exercises
• Laboratory reports
• Case studies
• Journal club presentations
• Oral viva voce interviews
• Poster presentation
• Case study presentation
• Abstract writing and journal article reviews

Time limited examinations are seen as an end of module check on student academic attainment in certain modules where a detailed understanding of contemporary scientific thinking, often research led, is deemed to be an essential currency.

We carefully plan our assessment schedule to avoid excessive bunching of similar types of assessment, and realistic deadlines. Every assessment includes a detailed briefing and clearly defined marking criteria, which have been developed and tested in partnership with students​.

The programme is closely aligned to professional standards in Biomedical Science, demonstrated by our professionally accreditation by the Institute of Biomedical Science (IBMS). The course will prepare you for the next stage of your career, whether pursuing further research, or professional study, or entering employment in the field of Biomedical Science. The course will also enhance the career prospects of those aspiring to middle and senior management positions within the NHS Pathology Service and the commercial sector.

Our module assessments directly relate to future employment or work-related tasks, or more generally to the advancement of the subject and profession, and your own aspirations. This will enable you to develop and demonstrate the application of your knowledge and skills to real-world professional situations.

Career development planning

In the Project & Career Planning module, you will engage in reflective self-evaluation of your knowledge, skills, and experiences, benchmarking these against relevant disciplinary standards/competency frameworks. We’ll support you to evaluate your current strengths and prioritise areas for improvement relevant to your own career goals and ambitions.

Work-based project options

You can select to complete your project in a work-based setting, working in partnership with an employer or other organisation. This could be with one of our NHS or industry partners or your own organisation or workplace – a common approach taken by part-time students investigating a project aligned to their own professional practice.

Applicants should normally have one of the following:

• A first or second class honours degree (1st or 2:1) which has a significant content of biological science
• At least a 60% pass in the Primary (Part I) examination for Fellowship of the Institute of Biomedical Science
• Substantial relevant experience at a senior level

Selection Procedure

Usually this is by completion of the appropriate application form. Candidates entering via the exceptional entry route may be required to attend an interview.

Please also include the supporting document listed in the Compulsory Supporting Documents > Postgraduate Courses Tab.

International Applicants

Students whose first language is not English will need to provide evidence of fluency to at least an academic IELTS 7.0 standard with no sub-score lower than 6.5 or equivalent, which is a requirement for an Institute of Biomedical Sciences accredited programme​. For full details about how to apply and English Language qualifications please visit the International pages on the website.

How to Apply

Applications for this course should be made direct to the University via our self-service system. For further information please visit our How to Apply pages at www.cardiffmet.ac.uk/howtoapply.

If you are interested in using credit from another institution, or have obtained qualifications and/or experience to study for a course at Cardiff Met, you can find further information on this as well as information on how to apply on the RPL page.

Tuition Fees and Financial Support:
For up to date information on tuition fees and the financial support that may be available. Please refer to www.cardiffmet.ac.uk/fees.

Part-time fees:
Charges are per Single Module unless specified:
Undergraduate = 10 Credits; Postgraduate = 20 Credits

Generally we find most students will complete 60 credits per year for both Undergraduate and Postgraduate study; to obtain a true costing please clarify this by contacting the Programme Director directly.

For general enquiries please contact the Admissions Team on 029 2041 6044 or email askadmissions@cardiffmet.ac.uk.

For course specific enquiries, please contact the programme director, Maninder Ahluwalia:
Email: mahluwalia@cardiffmet.ac.uk